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The Scottish Government is working with law enforcement partners such as Police Scotland, the National Cyber Security Centre as well as the financial industry in combatting fraud.

Police Scotland has established a cyber and fraud specialist division to enhance their response in Scotland, working with UK law enforcement and partner agencies. They will develop capability through cyber and online training, ensuring support and guidance for officers and staff. We encourage everyone to report suspicious sites to NCSC using the reporting tool on their website. We also encourage anyone who believes they have been the victim of a crime to contact Police Scotland.

The recruitment and deployment of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable, who confirmed to the SPA Board on 27 March 2025 that the “Scottish Government funding allows us to continue officer recruitment for a full time officer establishment of around 16,500, while modernising the workforce to release experienced officers from roles which don’t need warranted powers so that we can prioritise, maximise, and support the frontline to deliver for our communities.”

The Scottish Government has increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17, investing more than £14.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013, with £1.64 billion being invested in policing this year. Scottish Government funding in 2024-25 enabled Police Scotland to undertake the highest level of recruitment since its inception and Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales.

The Scottish Government accepts the recent Supreme Court judgment on the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 and expects all public bodies, including Police Scotland, to comply fully with their legal duties. The Scottish Government is aware of Police Scotland’s interim guidance, which broadly follows the interim guidance issued by the National Police Chief’s Council. While operational decisions rest with the Chief Constable, all search practices must be lawful, respectful, and uphold the dignity of individuals.

There are a complex range of factors and influences behind confidence in policing in Scotland.

However, it would be remiss not to acknowledge the findings of the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2023-24, including those on public trust in policing is falling. Confidence in our police service is vital for a safe and just Scotland, but recent trends mirror those in England and Wales over the same period, suggesting the issues involved may not be solely specific to Scotland.

Police Scotland are already taking steps to respond – from strengthening community policing to improving how they engage with victims and local communities. That work is backed by record investment of £1.64 billion this year.

The Scottish Government recognises the significant impact of shoplifting and retail crime on victims.

Our budget for 2025-26 includes an additional £3 million for Police Scotland to work in partnership with the retail sector to help tackle retail crime.

Furthermore, the government continues to back the Scottish Partnership Against Acquisitive Crime (SPAACE), led by Police Scotland alongside retailers and organisations like Retailers Against Crime and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland. The strategy focuses on prevention, deterrence, and enforcement, aiming to reduce crime opportunities, protect businesses and individuals, and provide clear prevention guidance.

The UK Government’s failure to fully fund their increase to employer National Insurance contributions has left Scotland’s public services, including Police Scotland, with a total bill running into hundreds of millions of pounds which will undermine investment in the Scottish Government’s priorities.

Despite this, we are providing an additional £15.2 million in-year funding to support the impact on Police Scotland, as part of the record £1.64 billion investment in policing in 2025-26.

You asked about how many offenders with electronic tags have breached their orders in the past five years.

In answering your question, we have taken this to mean orders of the court (as opposed to those monitored on a release licence) and by offenders, we have taken that to mean those convicted, so not those monitored on electronically monitored bail.

In the following tables, data on all restriction of liberty orders (RLOs) and community payback orders (CPOs) and drug testing and treatment orders (DTTOs) which have an electronically monitored restricted movement requirement imposed since April 2020 is provided. The data set out below shows “status at order end”, either: revoked or expired. This is what is known by the Scottish Government at the time of order end, as the decision making on whether something is an established breach of an order, sits with the court.

Compliance with an order is reported back by the monitoring provider to a court, and the court then determines what actions they wish to take in relation to that order, which may include continuing, varying or revoking that order, including to impose a further order or an alternative disposal such as custody.

An order can be revoked by the issuing court for a number of reasons including: on appeal, on breach of a concurrent order, because a new offence had been committed or a breach of an order has occurred.

The category of “expired” orders, includes orders where the outcome of any court consideration may not yet be known at the point the order ends. It will also include orders that were not being actively monitored at order end. Active monitoring could cease for reasons including: absence of the monitored person without consent, householder consent to monitor at that address being withdrawn or as the individual is otherwise absent for example they are already in custody or are in hospital.

Revoked Orders April 2020 to March 2025

The Scottish Government recognises the significant impact that retail crime can have on businesses, employees, and communities. We are committed to working in partnership with relevant sectors to prevent offending and raise awareness of young people about the consequences of such behaviour.

While there is currently no standalone national youth education programme specifically focused on retail crime, this issue is addressed within broader preventative and educational initiatives. These include community safety programmes delivered through schools, Police Scotland’s Campus Officer’s and partnerships between local authorities, third sector organisations, and community policing teams.

More widely, the Scottish Governments Youth Justice Vision 2024-2026 promotes early and effective intervention, diversion from prosecution and a preventative approach to youth offending. This framework supports local and national initiatives that raise awareness about the harms caused by offending – including shoplifting and retail-related antisocial behaviour and encourages positive decision making among young people.

The Government continues to consider how best to strengthen preventative education and is open to exploring opportunities to incorporate greater focus on retail crime within existing programmes. We are also working with stakeholders across justice, education, and business sectors to identify effective approaches to tackling the root causes of such behaviour.

There are provisions in the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012 and the Landfill (Scotland) Regulations 2003 to require companies to make adequate financial provisions for landfill aftercare and this requirement is also included in the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendments Regulations 2025. However, in the case of Tarbolton Moss the company was dissolved without any such funds remaining.

Officials continue to work with SEPA to understand how this occurred to ensure that the risk for similar future scenarios is minimised.

Furthermore, to minimise risk of further site abandonment, we will continue to work closely with local authorities and commercial operators to examine challenges faced before the commencement of the ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste on 31 December 2025.